


For Science

by ArliahTheBard (arliah)



Category: Nightbound (Visual Novel), Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Crossover Pairings, Fluff, M/M, Werewolf Turning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arliah/pseuds/ArliahTheBard
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Cal Lowell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	For Science

“Do it again. Show me.”

Bryce sat across the dining table with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. It had been a couple of days since he discovered what Cal was. A werewolf.

“I’m not sure you know what you’re asking for,” Cal said without looking up as he rose to wipe the table clean. “The sight of the transformation can be...a bit much to someone who’s new to all this.”

Brow furrowed, Bryce brushed the hair out of his face. He leaned back on the chair, deep in thought. Cal peered through his lashes to watch the doctor mull over the technicalities of his nature.

“You know, most people go from shock, disbelief, to get-me-the-hell-out-of-here. Somewhere along the way, you took a wrong turn and went straight to excessive curiosity,” he chuckled. 

“Okay, first of all, there’s no such thing.” Bryce walked towards Cal, rolling up his sleeves to help him with the dishes. “And second, I’m a doctor. I’m designed to react this way.”

Side by side in front of the sink, Cal’s shoulder brushed against Bryce’s as he passed him plate after plate in what looked like a practiced choreography. Antiseptic, cologne, and faintly of blood. The mixture of different scents coming from the doctor had developed in Cal a welcome familiarity. 

He doesn't realize it himself, but Cal’s eyes always lit up every time he sensed Bryce's presence in the woods. Even if he were aware of it, he would have never given his brother, Donny, the satisfaction of noticing.

The doctor, likewise, had been excited about his days off more than usual. That was saying a lot for someone who got sent home - despite his protests - many times over by the Chief of Surgery for exceeding the mandated weekly hours.

“So you’re saying,” Cal said, “do it for science?” He paused and glanced sideways at Bryce, waiting for his reaction.

Two seconds. That was all it took for Cal’s scrunched up face to break into a grin as soon as he saw the doctor’s smug expression, eyebrows wiggling playfully. It had been increasingly difficult to resist his charms. Cal’s grin turned into soft laughter and the doctor soon joined in.

“Come on.” Cal motioned for Bryce to follow him outside the cabin. “We’re gonna need a bigger space for this.”

The air was crisp and the sun was almost gone. As he stepped out to the porch, Bryce instinctively raised his arms to stretch before he took a deep breath. Nights spent in Cal’s cabin were becoming a quick favorite of his. While he did love the frantic hustle of the emergency room and the rush that came with performing surgeries, he was starting to like winding down to the sound of crickets and the rustling of the branches of the trees dancing to the tune of the evening breeze just as much. It was like a sanctuary. And it was beginning to feel more like _his_ sanctuary.

Bryce watched as Cal quietly unbuttoned his shirt and carefully placed it on the ground. His broad shoulders and chiseled form was godlike, framed by the view of the forest behind him.

“I don’t know what you were so worried about,” he said grinning. “I’m liking it so far.”

“Of course you do.” Cal shook his head and proceeded to strip down to nothing. “Alright, are you ready?”

“This is me we’re talking about.”

“Okay, you’re going to hear something that sounds like bones breaking,” Cal started, “because technically that’s exactly what’s happening.”

Bryce wanted to say something in protest out of concern but paused mid-word when he saw Cal’s rich, brown eyes turn to gold. The werewolf’s lips twitched into a menacing grin, revealing his now long canines.

Cal looked up to the sky, veins appearing along the side of his neck. Bryce’s gaze fell on Cal’s arms, now covered in thick, black fur, fingers slowly transforming into claws. And then he heard the sound Cal had warned him about.

The werewolf’s bones popped and crunched as his legs and arms bent and realigned themselves. It was unlike anything Bryce had ever seen before. Despite his fascination, fear and concern pushed their way out of him. From where he was standing, Cal looked like everything inside of him was repositioning itself to make way for his wolf form. And the pain that came with it must have been unbearable.

Once he felt that the transformation was complete, Bryce took a few steps towards the beast, who also did the same. This didn’t look anything like the gentle Cal who patched him up during that disaster of a hiking trip, nor the solemn Cal who played the piano, but Bryce knew that it’s still him through and through. The wolf bent down to Bryce’s level and the doctor lifted his hand and placed it on the muzzle. 

“God, you’re magnificent, you know that?” The wolf snarled but leaned into his touch.

Bryce circled the beast, inspecting him from head to toe. Still dumbfounded yet in awe. The wolf backed away and once more, Bryce heard the excruciating sounds of his transformation as he changed back to his human form.

“Satisfied?” Cal asked as he started putting his clothes back on. “You know you’re lucky the wolf likes you.”

“Just the wolf?”

“Oh, shut up.”


End file.
